The Ones who Got Away?

This is a fairly subjective and most likely incomplete record of those whose departure from Chesterfield could be considered to be an oversight, on the club's part. It is intended to be read alongside this spreadsheet record of such players, here. Not everyone on that sheet is featured in these short biographies.

I have imposed some necessary constraints on entry into this category,

and here they are:

1)  A player must not have played in the League before joining Chesterfield.

2)  He must not have played League Football for the Spireites, but he must have played more than just one trial match (which narrows it down a bit. I've put this in largely because my records of trial matches and reserve games are quite incomplete.

3)  He must have gone on to play at least fifty League matches after having been released by Chesterfield.Most of those who slipped through the club's fingers carried on down the plug-hole of anonymity and are not included here: some went on to enjoy considerable League careers.One in particular came back to haunt the club with a vengeance!

James Bannister

Jim came south as a sixteen-year-old and worked in the mining industry.He remained resolutely amateur at this time, turning down offers from Blackpool; had he turned professional, he would have been called up for National Service.He made quite an impact as a hard-working half, and his move to Derby represented a keen loss.He picked up an F.A. Cup winners' medal with the Rams in 1946 and finished his League career at Shrewsbury, who seemed to build a side for League football around a core of men who had played for Derbyshire clubs.He settled in the North Derbyshire area after his playing career ended, managing Alfreton Town until 1968.

Harry Egan

The son of Thomas Egan, a Welsh international, and the brother of George, of Derby and Aldershot.Harry took full advantage of a war guest spell at Saltergate in the '43-4 season to remind the club of what they had lost, by scoring nine times in his eleven outings.He also guested at Derby, Nottingham Forest, Mansfield, Aldershot and Swansea Town.

Charlie Elliott

Charlie Elliott did not hang up his boots at Highfield Road until 1948.His apparently low return of appearances from such a long career can perhaps be explained by his success as a cricketer.A right-hand bat and off-spin bowler, he played for Derbyshire between 1932 and 1953, playing 468 innings in 275 matches, at an average of 27.26 runs.He also took 210 catches and one stumping.The nephew of Derbyshire's Harry Elliott, he scouted for Coventry after retirement and was the club's caretaker manager for six months during the 1954-5 season.In later years, he became a well-respected test cricket umpire, standing in 42 tests, and was a member of England's selection panel for six years. Charlie was awarded the MBE for services to cricket. In later years he ran a guest house in Nottingham.

Steve Griffiths

Steve Griffiths started his working life as a glassblower at Tomlinson's, in Barnsley, and he first appeared for Chesterfield's reserves straight after a shift at work.The club were sufficiently impressed to wake his family the following night in order to win his signature.His £2 a week wage was doubled upon his coming to live in Chesterfield, but he wasn't given a First Team chance in two years and moved on.Pompey beat Everton to sign him in 1939 but, owing to the outbreak of war, he made only one significant contribution to Fratton Park folklore: he dropped the F.A. Cup at a hotel in Bognor Regis and could only watch in horror as it bounced down the main steps and into the street.

After naval service in the Indian and Pacific Oceans he was demobbed, but was freed by Pompey.After a season with Aldershot, Barnsley snapped him up, recognising the value of his experience, but he was moved out to York after disagreements with Angus Seed, the Manager, over the content of the club's training programmes.After two seasons at York, he applied for their vacant Manager's job but was told by the Chairman that he was too young and inexperienced.He was 39 at the time, and had been a pro footballer for twenty years. The former Spireite Jimmy McCormick got the York job and Steve went into the licensed trade.Steve was a WW2 guest with Barnsley and Halifax Town.

Ian Helliwell

The archetypal lower-division center forward, Ian's size, power and bravery caused problems for any opposing club's players and medical staff throughout a long career. Sheffield Wednesday turned him down first, and he came to Chesterfield from BSC Parkgate in 1982 but was overlooked as the club imploded in the financial crisis of 1982-3. He joined Matlock Town, began scoring freely and was taken on by York City for £10,000 in 1987.

His best years were spent at Bootham Crescent, and at Scunthorpe United, where he played for two years from 1991. He scored for the Iron in a 2-0 win over the Spireites in 1992, as his side reached the Division Four play-offs.

Shorter spells at Rotherham and Stockport presaged a move to Burnley, where he fell out of favour with Chris Waddle, the Clarets' manager. After several short-term loans Ian joined Ilkeston Town in 1998 and served with Chris Marples as their joint-manager. He is currently the Fitness Co-ordinator at Halifax Town.

Keith Houchen

Keith was a well-respected lower-division striker when he was catapulted to fame as the scorer of the York penalty that put Arsenal out of the F.A. Cup in '84-5.Something of a specialist at F.A. Cup goals, it seems, Keith scored four during Coventry's run to the 1987 final and capped that with the memorable diving header that helped to take the Cup back to Highfield Road.Keith wound down his playing career at Hartlepool, retiring with knee trouble in September '96. He did something he swore he'd never do, and took on managerial responsibility at the club, but that lasted only six weeks before a poor series of results saw him replaced, to his relief, one imagines.

Keith currently lives in Thirsk and runs a property renovation and letting business, while coaching at local schools and the Middlesbrough Academy. He also compiles match statistics for the Press Association. Keith is the subject of a biography, "A Tenner and a Box of Kippers." Lamentably, Chesterfield didn't get so much as a stickleback when he left us!

Hugh Kelly

Hugh returned to Northern Ireland at the outbreak of war. Upon coming back to England in 1949 he signed for Fulham, which caused Chesterfield to protest that he was, technically, still a Spireite.After a long and costly series of appeals it emerged that Chesterfield had inadvertently left his name off their 1939 retained list, and Glenavon, to whom he had been loaned, capitalized on this oversight. After the war he won four Northern Ireland caps and played for the Irish League against the Football League in 1947.

Stewart Littlewood

Stewart's signing caused a stir among followers of the Hardwick Colliery club, who felt that Chesterfield had got him on the cheap, and the Colliers' Secretary was forced to use the local paper to defend his decision to give the player a crack at the big time.It came to nothing: after about five Midland League games Littlewood was injured, and slipped out of the thoughts of the Spireites' selectors.He scored in quantity for Matlock and was bought by Wednesday, but had to wait until joining the Hatters before making his bow in the League.His promise was realised at Port Vale and developed at Oldham, but his value was emphasised to Chesterfield after he re-joined Vale in a swap for Albert Pynegar, who would later play for Chesterfield himself.On September 24th., 1932, the Spireites went to Port Vale and were defeated by a club-record score of 1-9.Littlewood scored five of them.Littlewood waited seven years to make his point, but revenge, as they say, is a dish best eaten cold.

Bill Robinson

The brother of Spireite Peter, Bill had a season at Chesterfield as a professional before going back to his native north-west.He settled in a half-back berth and was established at Peel Park when he met an untimely end on Deane Street, Manchester at the hands of a man named John Waddington, who took exception to Bill's courting his estranged wife, and shot them both. She survived, but Bill died in hospital soon after.

Jacky Slicer

The brother of Walter, of Luton and Rochdale, Jackie apparently spent some time in the USA before joining Mexborough.He was noted for a tricky action and elegant, well-timed body swerve that reduced full-backs to statues.His best years were spent at Norwich, where he completed 119 consecutive games in his three seasons.

Joe Spence (junior)

Joe returned from army service and tried out for Manchester United where, of course, his father had starred between the wars.He featured in their "A" team and Matt Busby was on the point of inviting him to turn professional when Bob Brocklebank got wind of this, and besieged Joe's house until he signed for Chesterfield.A centre-half in the classic English mould, Joe's ground work was fine, but he excelled in the air, and he took a cultured approach to the game that was instilled in him by his father.

Joe made steady progress through the "A" and reserve sides at Saltergate, but was in a pretty long queue behind the likes of Ken Booker, Dave Blakey and Bill Leivers.He was made available in May, '49, at £750: Richard Duckworth, who had coached Joe at Saltergate before becoming manager of York, offered him a contract but was unable to afford the fee.Joe petitioned the authorities to be given a 'free' and went to play for Buxton in the meantime.

His freedom (and it must have felt like that!) was granted after a year (by a committee that ironically included Ernest Shentall, Chesterfield's Chairman), and he duly made his move to York.He had taken a job while at Buxton, though, and was loath to give it up to turn fully pro.Despite this, he enjoyed four excellent seasons with the Minstermen before moving into non-League football.Joe lives in retirement in Chesterfield.

Dennis Stokoe

Dennis served an apprenticeship as an engineer in Blyth, turning out for Sunderland as an amateur during the war.His eighteen months at Chesterfield were spent in the reserves before moving down a division to Carlisle United.Here, he prospered greatly, particularly under the management of Bill Shankly, with whom he would be reunited at Workington.He came to be highly regarded at Borough Park as a half-back, and was selected for the Third (North) match against the Third (South) at Accrington, teaming up with George Smith and Dave Blakey.After a season at Gateshead he left football completely behind him, taking up a career as a sports journalist with such papers as the Sunderland Echo and the Manchester Evening News.

Other players do not quite fit the qualification at the head of this section, but are worthy of mention, by way of a footnote.

A brickie named Ernie BRAIDWOOD made his only recorded appearance for the Municipal club in a friendly in February, 1920.In 1922 he joined Nelson from Oldham and became an important member of the side that won the Third (North) championship in 1923 and toured Spain, before finishing his League career at Rochdale.

Fred DENT, a Sheffield-born forward, spent the 1923-4 season on Chesterfield's books, having seen League action during two seasons' service at Halifax.From North Derbyshire he went to Mid-Rhondda, a Southern League club, before embarking on a leisurely tour of the Third Division (South), stopping off at Bristol City, Exeter City, Merthyr Town, Norwich City, Swindon Town and Luton Town, over six years.

Leslie LIEVESLEY was a local man who is still revered by older supporters of the Italian club Torino.Staveley-born, his Dad Joe played for Sheffield United and Arsenal as well as the ill-fated Chesterfield Town club during the First World War, and brothers Dennis and Ernest and cousin Wilf were all professional footballers.Les began with the Rossington Colliery side before turning professional with Doncaster Rovers in 1929.After scoring 21 goals in 66 games, Manchester United came in for him, and it was from Old Trafford that Les joined the Spireites on a loan deal, of sorts, in March 1933.In the years before the Second World War, he spent four seasons at Torquay and two at Crystal Palace.After the war, he became a coach in Holland, before being appointed to the coaching staff of the mighty Torino side that dominated Italian football in the immediate post-war period.On May 4th., 1949, a plane carrying the Torino team crashed at Superga, near Turin.Thirty-one players and officials lost their lives, Leslie among them.The team and its English coach entered Italian football legend. There's more about the Grande Torino here.

How many League clubs can claim that an ex-player has sat in the House of Lords?Chesterfield can.Eric VARLEY was a neat, competent amateur full-back who was on the club's books in 1950.He subsequently played for Worksop Town and the Creswell Colliery side that enjoyed some success in the FA Cup in the early '50s.Having entered politics, Eric became Member of Parliament for Chesterfield and was appointed Energy Minister in Jim Callaghan's Labour government.He entered the Lords, as Lord Varley, in 1990.

A rare goalie that was overlooked was Kenny OXFORD.After one game for Manchester City, he spent eighteen months at Derby before coming up the A61 to play second fiddle to Ray Middleton in the '50-1 relegation season.He enjoyed a finer time of it at his next club, Norwich, playing 128 times for them before going back to Derby and clocking up 151 League games.After spells at Doncaster and Port Vale he went on to give fine service to Boston's two most prominent non-League clubs.

Going off at a slight tangent, three players credited with first-team games for a Chesterfield side didn't so much get away, as probably didn't get here at all.A player named HOWCROFT has been credited with one League game in the 1900-1 season, but no mention has been found of him at first team or reserve level in any local sources; similarly, a Welsh amateur named Hywel DAVIES was supposed to have played against Wrexham at Saltergate in 1926-7.Local sources appear to confirm that Sammy Hopkinson played in his position that day.Finally, a giant of a player from Mansfield's past, Chris STANIFORTH, is often credited with four games and two goals in the Municipal side's 1919-20 Midland League Championship season.A complete set of locally-researched line-ups for this season contains no mention of him; local papers would seem to suggest that he was a Creswell player throughout 1919-20.

SB